New gangland series set in Birmingham tells story of Peaky Blinders who ruled streets by fear

ROZ LAWS discovers why Birmingham is the setting for a gritty new historical drama starting this week

Drinkers in a Birmingham pub barely batted an eyelid when a Hollywood star sat down to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Cillian Murphy, star of the Dark Knight films, Sunshine and 28 Days Later, was taken to The Garrison, on Garrison Lane in Small Heath, by writer Steven Knight.

It was all part of his research for his major new BBC drama Peaky Blinders.

Set in Birmingham in 1919, it’s a six-part gangster drama.

Irish
actor Murphy plays Tommy Shelby, who runs the feared and ruthless gang of Peaky Blinders. Taking their name from their habit of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps, they made their money from illegal betting, protection and the black market.

The
series is atmospherically shot and Birmingham is very much the star. Knight admitted he was keen for his home city’s working class roots to shine through.

“There’s a tendency for period drama to have the same format, of people in bonnets speaking in a very formal way,” he said.

“I think it’s highly unlikely that’s how it really was – especially in working class Birmingham.

“Birmingham at the time was bigger than Chicago and Detroit in terms of manufacturing.

“Men
were working hard in incredibly difficult conditions, which gave the place an energy and vibrancy that hasn’t been captured on screen before.

“I
was insistent that the characters didn’t do that stupid, slow drawl we usually get every time Birmingham is on telly. That’s ridiculous.

“I
told all the actors that it’s a fast, hard accent. I took Cillian to the Garrison pub, where I go before Blues matches, and introduced him to
a few of my mates.

“He recorded their conversation and copied it. I think he got it perfectly.”

Knight
first had the idea for Peaky Blinders 17 years ago, based on stories he
had been told by his parents, who grew up in Small Heath.

“My mum was a bookie’s runner when she was ten. The police used to look out for people making illegal bets, so they used kids.

“And my dad told me about his uncles, who he said were part of the Peaky Blinders gang.

“When
he was a kid he was told to take a message to them. He remembers running into a house and finding a table covered in money, and immaculately dressed men sitting around drinking beer out of jam jars. My script is a mixture of real people – Billy Kimber, who was a real gangster, features and mythology.

“The history books tell you Peaky Blinders were a teenage fad that died out at the start of the 20th century.

“But from what I was told by my dad, by the 1920s these kids had grown up and were still known as Peaky Blinders.

“It was a terrifying name which stuck around, the myth lingers in people’s minds.”

The series was filmed briefly in Birmingham and the Black Country Living Museum, though mostly in Liverpool.

“It’s
a shame we couldn’t do more in Birmingham, but blame the Nazis and the town planners,” said 54-year-old Knight, who has writing credits for the
comedy series The Detectives, films Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises and co-created Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

“So
much of the city was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War and then the town planners demolished the rest. Part of Small Heath survived, but it was very difficult to close down a terraced street so we could film. We found one in Liverpool which was about to be knocked down.

“It’s beautifully filmed, we’ve made the city look incredible. It looks expensive but it isn’t. It’s just the creative use of a limited number of locations.”

The
BBC is so keen on Peaky Blinders, which also stars Sam Neill and Helen McCrory, that Knight has already started writing the second series.

“Nothing
is official yet, but the response has been fantastic,” he said. “They’ve asked me to get cracking on it, and all the cast are keen to do
another series. I’d really like to do three series, to take the characters up to the Second World War.”

Knight’s next project, a film called Locke which he has written and directed, stars Tom Hardy and also features Birmingham.

“It’s about a car journey from Birmingham to London, and it begins with lovely shots of Spaghetti Junction,” he revealed.